Punch press



1939- E. F. MCCLUNG ET AL 4 PUNCH PRESS Filed Sept. 1'7, 195? 3 Sheets-Sheet l E F MEE1'L1 n g INVENTORS. F. '5. Echildknect ATTORNEY.

Jan. 24, 1939. F MccLUNG ET AL 2,144,684

PUNCH PRESS Filed Sept. 17, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 8 F 2 8 4 x... I 5, ,J m ET; \--E E v F BF. m cljl un g F.S EIE]1iIdkHEE E BY m Z1. immy ATTORNEY.

Jan. 24, 1939. E, F. MCCLUNG ET AL, 2,144,684

PUNCH PRESS Filed Sept. 17, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Egg-7 HII'IIIIH E- ME C111 1' ET INVENTORS. F. 5. Ethi] dknE'Eht BY m! 3. J/ZZM ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PUNCH PRESS Eugene F. McClung, Huntington Park, and Paul S. Schildknecht,

Los Angeles, Calif.;

said

Our invention relates to punch presses and more particularly to a punch press that will cut links from elongated srips of feed material and punch holes in such links.

An important object of the invention is to provide "feeding means for elongated strips of compressible, resilient material, that will not compress or distort such strips more than a minimum amount, during the feeding step.

Another object is to utilize the resilience of the feed material to. assist in the operation of the press.

Still another object is to punch a removable plug in the links and to provide eflicient means for removing the plug.

A further object is to provide means for sorting the links from waste material after the punching operation. z

The invention also comprises novel details of construction 'and novel combinations and arrangements of parts,;,which' will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure l is a perspective view of a punch press embodying features of our invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of operating mechanism comprised in the embodiment.

Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a reduced section, taken on the line 5.5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged, broken, sectional view on the .line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure '1 is a section taken on a horizontal plane, as suggested by the line 'l! of Figure 2, but at right angles thereto.

Figure 8 is an enlarged section taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an enlarged section taken on the line 99 of Figure 7.

Figures 10 to 12 are perspective views of details.

Figure 13 is a broken elevation, partly in section, of a sorting mechanism hereinbefore men- -tioned.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 generally designates a frame of a punch press. The press is driven by a fly wheel 3 which in turn is driven by a belt 4 connected with any suitable driving means.

Central of a shaft 5, which is driven by the fly wheel, is an eccentric 6 which operates a reciprocating link 1. Attached to the lower end of the link is a ram 8.

Fastened on the lower face of the ram 8 is a series of punches 9 and cutters Ill. The cylindrical punches 9 are arranged concentric with the curved cutters Ill. The lower ends and edges of the punches and cutters, respectively, are. tapered to provide cutting ends and edges, as best shown in Figure 4.

The punches and cutters are mounted upon lower faces of bars l2. The mounting may be effected by inserting shanks l3 of the cutters into openings M in the bars l2 and fastening the shanks in such position by set screws l5. Set screws l6 are employed to fasten shanks ll of the punches within the shanks I3 of the cutters. Flattened spots are provided on the shanks for engagement by the set screws.

Clamping heads l8, having shoulders IQ for engaging the bars l2 at the opposite ends thereof, clamp the bars on the underside of the ram 8. Screws 2!! on the heads 18 fasten the latter to the underside of the ram 8, as shown in Figure 3.

The bed 2| of the press has a series of die shoes 22 which register with the punches and cutters. The die shoes 22 are of relatively softer material than the punches and cutters, to lessen the wear on the latter. The die shoes have screw holes 23 for bolting same to the bed 22, and have guide holes 24 and arcuate grooves 25. The guide holes 24 are disposed and dimensioned to receive the punches 9 and the arcuate grooves 25 are disposed and dimensioned to receive the arcuate cutters H).

A guide 26 has a series of channels 21. A cross bar 28 closes the tops of the channels 21, for directing work strips 30 between rollers 3| and 32. Therollers have sections 33 of reduced diameter that carry rows of pins 34. The pins are preferably staggered around the sections 33, as suggested in Figure 6.

The pins 34 are tapered and fit in similarly shaped openings in bands 35, which are bolted to the sections 33, as also shown in Figure 6.

It will be noted in Figure 3 that the sections 33 are a greater distance apart than the thickness of the work 30. Thus movement of the rollers 3|, 32 is communicated to the work strips 30 entirely through the pins 34. The pins 34 either pierce or depress the work a relatively small amount, thus displacing or compressing portions of the work to a minimum extent.

Stationary guides 35 are mounted on a bar 36.

The guides 35 are spaced apart to provide channels for receiving and directing the work strips 30 as they are fed forward by the rollers 3i, 32.

Arranged on the bed 2| between the die shoes 22 are pairs of movable, floating guides 31, 38. The guides have adjacent bevels 39. Depending from the ram 8 is a series of spreaders 4D. The spreaders have beveled ends 4| that engage the beveled surfaces of abutting guides 31, 38 and thereby separate the guides.

The guides have shoulders 42 that overhang the die shoes 22. These shoulders are so dimensioned that guides at opposite sides of the work strips 39 will compress the strips 30 to a limited extent, when the spreaders 45 move abutting guides apart. The resilience of the strips 30 returns the guides 31, 38 to their former positions when the spreaders 40 are withdrawn.

A stripper plate 43 is arranged above the guides and above the work strip channels 44 between the guides. The plate 43 has holes 45 for the punches 9 to pass through. The cutters lU descend around rounded ends 46 on the plate 43. The plate thus provides stripping means for both the punches and cutters. Openings 41 are cut in the plate 43 for reciprocation of the spreaders 40.

Fixed guide pins 48 are provided at either side of the plate. A top guide 49 for the work strips is bolted to the plate 43.

Ejectors 50 are provided for the punches 9. The ejectors have reduced tips that enter the cylindrical punches 9, as shown in Figure 4. Thus after the punches have punched plugs from the work, instead of withdrawing the punches and allowing the plugs to remain in the work, the

ejector tips 5| push the plugs up intothe punches. Thereafter, when the punches are withdrawn from the work, the plugs are likewise withdrawn. The plugs then easily fall from the punches.

The press has a treadle 52 for disconnecting the press from the fly wheel 3, by means of a wedge clutch of conventional construction. The means for driving the rollers 3|, 32 intermittently, to feed material into the press intermittently, includes a crank connection 53 of a rod 54 with a shaft 55 normally driven by the fly wheel.

The rod 54 has a foot I55 that contains a spring urged plunger 56. The plunger engages successive teeth of aratchet 51, rotating the latter in the direction of the arrow of Figure 5, as the rod is reciprocated by the crank 53. After advancing the ratchet by movement of the rod in an upward direction, on the descending movement of the rod the plunger rides over the next tooth of the ratchet. The spring"58 thereupon moves the plunger 56 behind the next tooth.

The ratchet is mounted upon and drives a spindle 59, which is supported in bearings 60, 5|. A brake 62 of suitable construction aifords uniform motion of the spindle. The spindle drives a gear 63 which engages and in turn drives a pinion 54 on the roller 3|. Meshing gears 65, 56 at the opposite ends of the rollers 3 l, 32 drive the latter in unison and of course in opposite directions, in order to feed work strips to the cutters and punches.

Mechanism is provided to snap the ejectors 50 upward when the punches have punched plugs from the work, to drive the plugs into the punches. Said mechanism comprises a head 51 that is reciprocated beneath the bed 2! by a link 68 connected to a cam wheel 69 on a stub shaft 10.

The lower ends of the ejectors 50 are of reduced diameter, as shown at 1|. Said reduced ends are disposed within the head 61. Ends of the ejectors at the lower face of the head 61 are upset, as suggested at 12, or otherwise fastened in place. The ejectors are thus positively moved in conjunction with the head 61.

Guide bolts 13, confine the movements of the head to a vertical plane. Coiled springs 14 around said bolts resist downward movement of the head A bar 15 connected with the ram of the press, carries a pivoted pawl 16 at its lower end. A spring 11 tends to move the pawl 16 into engagement with a shoulder 18 of the cam wheel 68. A second pawl 19 is pivoted on a support 80. A flat spring 8! urges the pawl 19 into engagement with a shoulder 82 on the wheel 69, when same are opposite one another. The spring 11 also connects with the pawl 19.

Thus when the ram 8, and thereby the bar 15, rises, the pawl 16 causes the wheel 69 to turn counter-clockwise until the pawl 19 engages the shoulder 82. The head 61 and the ejectors 50 have then been drawn down and cocked ready for an upward snap action.

'When the ram, and thereby the bar 15, descends, the lower end of the pawl 16 trips the pawl 19 from engagement with the shoulder 82, thus releasing the wheel 69. The springs 14 then snap the head 61 and hence the ejectors 50 upwardly with a snap action, to force the plugs of material into the punches.

From the cutters and punches, the work is received by a trough 83 on the frame of the press. The work material is then introduced into a blower 84 mounted on supports 85. A shaft 36, in a bearing 81, is driven by a suitable source of power and in turn rotates blades 88 of the blower 84. A housing 89 receives material from the trough 83 and introduces the material to the rotating blades 88. A discharge pipe from the blower is suggested at 90.

The pipe 90 empties into a cylindrical chamber 5! at a tangent thereto. The waste is thereby separated from the finished material. The chamber iii, if desired may be on the roof of the building enclosing the press. A ventilating flue 92 discharges dust and air pressure into the atmosphere. A hood 93 keeps rain, snow, wind, etc. from the pipe 92. A pipe 94 directs waste and finished material to a sorting screen (not shown).

In the use of our present punch press, of course the belt 4 is driven, and elongated strips of material are fed into the press. The preparation of such strips is more fully described and shown in our co-pending application Serial No. 164,326, on Mat and method and means of making same, filed contemporaneously herewith.

The strips are primarily intended for door mats.

The strips are preferably of layers of bias arranged fabric, arranged at different angles in abutting layers and held together with vulcanized rubber as a binder.

The strips are manually fed through the channels 21 of the guide 26 into contact with the pins 34 of the rollers 3|, 32. The rollers are intermittently rotated by the rod 54, ratchet 51 and associated parts. Each tooth of the ratchet 51 advances the work strips at least the distance between facing cutters lll on a single bar l2, such as shown in Figure 12. Thus when the ram descends, the facing cutters l0 cut a single segment 95, and the punches 9 punch openings 95 at the ends of the segments.

The ejectors punch the plugs of material, which provide the openings 96, into the punches 9. Withdrawal of the punches from the material withdraws the plugs, leaving the openings 96. The plugs then drop out of the punches.

The plate 43 otherwise strips the segments 95, and waste material 91 between the segments, from the cutters I0, as the latter rise.

The cut segments 95 and the waste material 91 between the segments are pushed into the trough 83 from the bed 2| by following segments and waste material. From the trough 83 same are drawn into the blower 84. The rotating blades of the blower strike the material and whirl it against the inner surface of the housing 89. This action tends to separate the waste pieces from the segments 95.

As a final step in such separation, the outlet pipe of the blower empties into the chamber 9| tangentially. The separated segments and waste pieces 91 are dropped through the pipe 9 to a sorting screen (not shown).

Dust and air pressure are exhausted into the atmosphere through the flue 92.

While we have illustrated and described what we now regard as the preferred embodiment of our invention, the construction is. of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit of our invention. We, therefore. do'not wish to restrict ourselves to the particular form of construction illustrated and described. but desire to avail ourselves of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, guides located along the sides of the work material for directing work material between the die shoe and the punch, the guides being movable together closer than the width of the work material, whereby inherent resilience of the work material is utilized to move the guides away from each other, and means to move the guides toward each other prior to the engagement of the work material by the punch.

2. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, floating guides, located. along the sides of the work material, positive means to move the guides to- Ward each other, and stop means to prevent the guides from moving into the path of the punch, the stop means being so disposed as to permit the guides to come together closer than the width of the work material when same is compressed by the punch engaging the work, whereby to take advantage of the resilience of the material to move the guides apart after the said positive means is ineffective.

3. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, punches on the ram, die shoes opposite the punches, guides located along the sides of the work material defining a plurality of channels over the die shoes for work material, guides for adjacent channels being disposed adjacent each other between the channels and means to separate adjacent guides and move same towards the channels, to direct the work material to proper positions between the punches and the die shoes.

4. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, punches on the ram, die shoes opposite the punches, guides 10- cated along the sides of the work material defining a plurality of channels over the die shoes for work material, guides for adjacent channels being disposed adjacent each other between .the channels, the guides having beveled shoulders, and beveled means insertable between the guides to separate same by engagement with the beveled shoulders thereon.

5. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, punches on the ram, die shoes opposite the punches, a stripper plate for stripping work material from the punches, the plate having openings, the punches moving in certain of the openings, guides located along the sides of the work material defining a plurality of channels over the die shoes for work material, guides for adjacent channels being disposed adjacent each other between the channels, and means on the ram movable in another opening of the stripper plate to separate adjacent guides and move same towards the channels, to direct work material to proper positions between the punches and the die shoes.

6. In a punch press, 'a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch and a cutter on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch and cutter, the die shoe having an opening, a stationary stripper for the cutter, a movable stripper for the punch, connected to reciprocate in the hole in the die shoe and arranged to push material punched from the work, into the punch, and means connected to said actuating mechanism to operate the movable stripper intermittently as the punch punches material from the work.

7. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, the die shoe having an opening, a movable stripper for the punch, connected to reciprocate in the hole in the die shoe and arranged to push material punched from the work, into the punch, and snap acting means to operate the movable stripper intermittently as the punch punches material from the work.

8. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, a movable pin arranged to be inserted in the punch, to maintain material punched from the work, in the punch, upon withdrawal of the latter, spring means tending to move the pin into the punch, means to compress the spring means, and

means operable by the actuating mechanism of the press to suddenly release the pin and the spring means when the punchhas punched material from the work material.

9. In a punch press, a reciprocating ram, actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, a

movable pin arranged to be inserted in the punch,

to maintain material punched from the work, in the punch, upon withdrawal of the latter, spring means tending to move the pin into the punch, a head to compress the spring means, a notched wheel, a link connecting the notched wheel with the head, to compress the spring by movement of the wheel in one direction and to release tension in the spring means by movement in the opposite direction, pawl means arranged to engage a notch of the wheel to maintain the spring means in a compressed condition, and means operable by the actuating mechanism of the press to suddenly release the pawl, when the punch has punched material from the work, to permit the pin to actuating mechanism for the ram, a punch on the ram, a die shoe disposed opposite the punch, movable guide means located alongside the work material defining a channel over the die shoe for resilient work material, and means mounted on the ram to reciprocate with the punch, said means being arranged to move the guide means to work engaging position, said means being withdrawn by movement of the ram to permit resilience of the work material to move,the guides substan- 1o tially to their original positions.

EUGENE F. McCLUNG. PAUL S. SCHIIDKNECHT. 

